By David Gold

Barry MiddletonMay 17 - Britain's men's hockey squad for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh, Malaysia, has been named by coach Jason Lee, with captain Barry Middleton returning.

Also selected were Harry Martin and Richard Smith, who sustained injuries at the recent Visa International Invitational Hockey tournament at the Olympic Park.

Martin (pictured below) injured his cheekbone against India as Britain finished third in the four team competition, which was a test event for this summer's Olympics at the Riverbank Arena.

Harry Martin
Smith broke his nose against Australia, but the selection of both is a boost to Lee ahead of the Games.

Also returning from injury is Matt Daly (pictured below), after six months out, and his goal scoring prowess, having stuck 57 times in 142 games at international level, will be a huge boost.

"It is great that Matt is back playing and potentially available for Olympic selection," Lee said.

Matt Daly
"Someone with his goal scoring ability and history in international hockey should be very competitive if fit, and able to come into form over the next couple of months.

"I'm sure he will be rusty to start with as he has only been back working with a stick and ball for a week after many months out."

Less positive is the absence of Simon Mantell, one of the team's key men, who picked up a foot injury during the same tournament and is set to be absent for another six weeks.

The upcoming tournament in Malaysia runs from May 24 to June 3 and is the last major preparation Lee will have before the Olympics.

Britain will take on India for the third time in a month after they met twice during the Visa International Invitational, with Lee's men winning both games.

They will also face Argentina in a potentially testy encounter given the tension between the two countries over the Falkland Islands, over which they fought a war 30 years ago.

Argentina's Fernando Zylberberg recently featured in an advert which claimed sovereignty over the Islands running past some of its key landmarks, but he was not selected for compete in Malaysia.

Though it is the first time the two countries' men's teams have met since that advert, which was widely condemned, the women faced each other in the Olympic Park this month in a bruising encounter which left the British coach Danny Kerry fuming.

In Malaysia Lee's team will also face the hosts, South Korea, New Zealand and Pakistan.

Lee added that the tournament represents "an excellent opportunity to practice the type of tournament hockey we will experience at the Olympics and we will be approaching it with the intention of winning it - the same as our approach for the Olympics.

"The tournament has seven high quality teams, six of which will be at the Olympics, and it includes a number of teams that we rarely get to play.

"The climate of Malaysia will be testing for our athletes, although we will complete a short acclimation programme before we leave, which will hopefully make it easier for the players to cope in the first few games."

As at the Olympics, the tournament will be played on a blue surface, and Britain will have particular pressure as the top ranked side taking part in the event, which was won by Australia last year.

Meanwhile, Britain's women's squad for the Olympics is set to be announced this Friday (May 18) in London, with the men's team to be confirmed in mid-June.

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